Women are underrepresented in leadership roles in academia and account for less than a quarter of all full professors in STEM fields throughout the United States (National Science Foundation). Interestingly enough, this problem does not arise from lack of females who hold doctoral degrees in STEM fields. Instead, research suggests that a “leaky pipeline” exists where women do not advance in the ranks of academia due to conscious or unconscious gender bias, unfavorable departmental culture, disparities in promotion and tenure processes, and perceived inability due to lack of role models in leadership positions. In an effort to ameliorate the effects of the “leaky pipeline,” the Women’s Health Research Institute (WHRI) developed the “Xpanding Opportunities in STEM” workshop series to promote and retain women in STEM and STEM-related fields at Northwestern throughout all stages of their career. Open to all students, post-docs, faculty, and staff the quarterly workshop series will feature seminars, panel discussions, and networking events designed to break down barriers that women in STEM may face.

Upcoming Events: 

If you would like to join a mailing list to receieve information and updates about the Xpanding Opportunities in STEM program, please contact us at womenshealthresearch@northwester.edu. 

Previous Events:

March 7th, 2018 - Coffee and Conversations with Emily Weiss, PhD (Evanston Campus) 

October 18th, 2017 - Coffee and Conversations with Jindan Yu, MD, PhD (Chicago Campus) 

October 26th, 2017 - Coffee and Conversations with Yarrow Axford, PhD (Evanston Campus) 

May 2nd, 2017 - Coffee and Conversations with Teresa Woodruff, PhD (Evanston Campus)

November 7th, 2016 - Breaking Down Barriers: Women in STEM Workshop (Chicago Campus) 

Xpanding Opportunities in STEM is supported by the Provost Grant for Innovation in Diversity and Inclusion.